India has been fighting against the high incidence of thalassemia for quite a long time. According to a survey, more than 15,000 children are born with thalassemia every year in India. For these children, a transplant of stem cells or bone marrow is the only hope for recovery, but the cost of thalassemia treatment turns out to be out of the reach of many families.

Realising this need, Medanta has undertaken a new initiative called Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojna in collaboration with Coal India Limited. This CSR endeavour by Coal India will facilitate the cost of BMT procedures as per the guidelines of MoH&FW to ensure that needy thalassemia-inflicted children can get treated without worrying about the financial part.

A Mission-Driven Partnership for Change

The TBSY initiative, under the MoU inked between Medanta and Coal India, offers life-saving bone marrow transplant treatments to children afflicted with thalassemia and aplastic anaemia.

As per the agreement, Coal India would contribute a maximum of ₹ 10 lakh per child for the BMT treatment. Coal India has already paid an advance of ₹ 50 lakhs to Medanta for commencing the program.

There is also a commitment of another ₹2 crore by Coal India if Medanta can treat more than ten children annually under the scheme. This massive financial support would mean the financial burden on the families would go down so that the children could afford the only curative treatment for thalassemia.

What Is Thalassemia and Aplastic Anaemia?

Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder characterised by the inability of the system to produce enough haemoglobin. It could lead to:

• Intense anaemia
• Bone pain
• Damaged organs
• Skeletal deformities

Thalassemia major is the most serious form of this genetic blood disorder. It requires lifelong blood transfusions to manage the condition, thus placing quite a physical and financial burden on the patients and their families.

Aplastic anaemia is another life-threatening blood disorder. In this condition, the bone marrow cannot make sufficient blood cells and hence leaves a person open to infections, uncontrolled bleeding, and extreme fatigue.

Bone marrow transplantation is a probable cure for the disorders, especially if it is performed early in a child's life. However, it is a very elaborate and costly procedure, and middle-class families can rarely afford it. In this light, the Medanta-Coal India TBSY initiative represents a leap forward in making BMT accessible to children who would not have been able to avail of the treatment on their own.

Eligibility and Clinical Criteria to Access the TBSY Scheme

The TBSY program has specific eligibility criteria for beneficiaries to ensure that the benefits reach only deserving children. Although the eligibility is slightly different for patients suffering from either thalassemia or aplastic anaemia, here are the general and clinically related eligibility criteria:

Eligibility criteria for children suffering from transfusion-dependent thalassemia:

• General Criteria: The patient should be 12 years or younger, with family income not exceeding ₹8 lakhs per annum.
• Clinical Criteria: The child should have a transfusion-dependent condition and a 100% HLA-matched sibling donor with at least a 6/6 matching ratio. The recipient should not be classified as Class III-B; his liver size should be less than 5 cm below the costal margin.

Eligibility criteria for patients with no matched sibling donor:

• General Criteria: The age limit and family income requirements are the same as for thalassemia.
• Clinical Criteria: The patient should have a 100% HLA match from an unrelated donor, and the same clinical restrictions regarding liver size and Class III­B exclusion.

Eligibility criteria for children suffering from severe aplastic anaemia:

• General Criteria: The patient should be 18 years or younger. The family income limit should be ₹8 lakhs per annum.
• Clinical Criteria: Severe aplastic anaemia should be documented from a BMT centre with a full 6/6 HLA-matched related donor and tests confirming no inherited bone marrow failure syndromes.

These strict criteria ensure that money is spent on those children who would benefit the most from the treatment. This ensures that the initiative is highly effective and that the number of positive outcomes for young patients is maximised.

Overcoming Financial Barriers to Life-saving Treatment

While the number of patients suffering from thalassemia and aplastic anaemia is continuously rising in India, the high cost of bone marrow transplantation remains an obstacle for most patients in getting treatment for these diseases. Even though BMT can be cured, the treatment costs range from ₹15 to ₹25 lakh, which is beyond the reach of most families who have incomes of less than ₹8 lakhs per annum. But under the TBSY scheme, Coal India covers up to ₹10 lakh of the BMT cost for every eligible child. This level of financial assistance becomes very important for bridging the gap in families that would otherwise be unable to afford the procedure.

Besides the monetary help, the partnership with Medanta would ensure smooth treatment, meaning that patients could receive the best treatment under the expertise of highly qualified medical teams.

The Impact of TBSY on Indian Health Care

The TBSY initiative might just be a classic example of directly addressing unique and expensive medical needs through healthcare collaboration with the corporate sector. By directly supporting high-impact interventions such as BMT, corporations can bring about long-term sustainable healthcare solutions that address particular health issues in a defined demographic. All these will fit into India's overarching health and social welfare objectives towards improved health outcomes for socio-economically disadvantaged populations.

Final Words

The Medanta-Coal India Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojna is a lifeline for children suffering from thalassemia and aplastic anaemia. Without the initiative, these children would have been burdened with upfront hurdles to access life-saving treatment. TBSY combines financial support with world-class medical expertise to fill an urgent need within India's healthcare ecosystem, offering hope to families dealing with the complexities of chronic blood disorders.

This program will also highlight the effectiveness of CSR in facilitating social change and building a healthier society for the upcoming generations of India. In such partnerships, accessible healthcare becomes more than a dream; it becomes a reality so that no child has to miss out on treatment due to the price of it.

If your child is suffering from thalassemia, then don’t worry! Medanta is here to help. Get in touch with us and learn how we can help you in the treatment of your child!